Martin O'Malley Poised To Enter The 2016 Race; George Pataki Still Deciding

05/14/2015 10:52 am ET
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Updated
May 14, 2016

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WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) - Two former governors could join the race for U.S. president at the end of the month, with Democrat Martin O'Malley of Maryland gearing up to officially declare his candidacy on May 30 and Republican George Pataki of New York planning to announce his decision on whether to run on May 28.

Politico reported O'Malley's plans on Thursday, citing an aide, and said he would likely make his announcement in Baltimore where he served as mayor.

He has already been on the campaign trail for nearly a year, and has visited the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

O'Malley, who led Maryland from 2007 until last January, would be one of few candidates to take on Hillary Clinton, considered the frontrunner for the Democratic party.

So far, only Senator Bernie Sanders, a political independent from Vermont, has officially declared his intention to seek the party's nomination.

Conversely, Pataki, a Republican who led a heavily Democratic state for 10 years, would join a crowded field of Republican contenders if he decides to run. He said on MSNBC on Thursday morning he is "going to make an announcement May 28 - two weeks."

His experiences as governor starting in 1995 would make him appealing to Republican, moderate and conservative Democratic voters, he said.

"You have to be able to work with people across party lines," he said. "I know I can work to get things done regardless of political difficulties." (Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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